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The Oldtimer Grand Prix was a vintage car and motorcycle race on the Salzburgring near Salzburg, Austria that was held nine times between 1974 and 1987. It was founded by Helmut Krackowizer, an Austrian journalist and ex-motorcycle racer.

The “Oldtimer Grand Prix” on the Salzburgring in the years between 1974 and 1987, which took place nine times: 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985 and 1987. Racing drivers such as Niki Lauda, Juan Manuel Fangio and motorcycle racers such as Sammy Miller, John Surtees, Walter Zeller, Luigi Taveri, Hans Haldemann, and Georg Meier attended the event. More than 100 cars and up to 250 motorcycles participated this event each year.

Participants

Automobile drivers

Motorcyclists

Vehicles

About 70 to 100 automobiles and around 200 vintage motorcycles appeared from throughout Europe. Among these were:

Automobiles

  • 1981 a legendary “Silver Arrow” from Mercedes-Benz in which Hermann Lang became European Champion in 1939; this 3-liter supercharged racing car with around 500 HP was driven by Niki Lauda
  • 1981 a 1.5-liter-four-cylinder-supercharged Mercedes-Benz 1924, the oldest car, which came from the “Deutschen Museum” in Munich and had won the Targa Florio in 1924
  • 1981 a Talbot-Largo-Grand-Prix-car from 1949, the “Delahaye-Sport”, driven by Prince Hohenlohe-Langenburg
  • 1981 Helmut Schellenberg with his Bugatti 35 C, the winning car of Prince Lobkowitz at the Gaisbergrennen, Salzburg, in 1930 and had a spectacular crash with it

…as well as an Austro Daimler ADM 1924, DKW F1 racing car 1930, Rolls-Royce 20/25 from 1934, Mercedes-Benz 300 SL from 1952, a Staguellini Formel Junior 1959 (the Stanguellini company is based in Modena, Italy. Niki Lauda was driving such a car in his early career);

Motorcycles

  • The 1981 race included for the first time a working NSU-350-cm³ from 1937 with the latest double cam shaft motor from the English engineer Walter Moore, manufacturer of the NSU-Königswellen-motorcycle until 1938—this motorcycle was restored and ridden by Heinz Metzmeier from Baden, Germany
  • In 1981, the German Günther Warnecke from Bremen came with a rare 500er Rudge TT Replica 350 cm³, which was restored by him and ridden by his son
  • Reinhard Hollaus rode the NSU Rennfox 125 cm³, the winning motorcycle of his brother Rupert
  • 1974 Ivan Rhodes (GB) the only 500-cm³-works-Velocette still running, which was the motorcycle of Stanley Woods (GB) before 1939, 10 times winner of the TT
  • 1974 Hans Wilhelm Busch (Germany) brought a 1925 eight valve V-2-Cylinder Wanderer to Salzburg
  • 1987 Michael Krauser Jr. came with the ex-world champion-BMW-sidecar of Deubel/Hörner of 1961
  • 1987 the fast German Erwin Bongards rode the entirely covered double cam shaft one cylinder Guzzi of 1955

Also, a Scott TT 500 of 1926, Puch 250 Sport of 1928, Megola 640 5-cylinder of 1923, DKW SS 350 of 1939 and many Rudge-bikes. The range of motorcycles started with Ariel and AJS and continued through Brough-Superior, BSA, Calthorpe, DKW, D-Rad, Douglas, Gillet Herstal, Humber, Harley-Davidson, Moto Guzzi, Megola, Norton, New Imperial, NSU, Puch, Raleigh, Rudge, Schütthoff, Standard, Velocette and Wimmer to Zenith

References